Greenville County deputies seek information after 2 churches were vandalized

A suspect spray painted "Venceremos por el Diablo" on the side of Joy Fellowship Church in Piedmont over the weekend. The Spanish phrase translates to "We will overcome for the devil," according to Greenville County Sheriff's Office spokesman Sgt. Ryan Flood.(Photo: Courtesy of Geoffrey Phillips)

Two churches on Bessie Road were vandalized this weekend, and the Greenville County Sheriff's Office is asking the public for more information.

The first incident happened at Bessie Road Baptist Church early Sunday morning. Another incident happened at Joy Fellowship, less than a mile from the first church, between the hours of 8 a.m. Sunday and 8:50 a.m. Monday.

Two wooden crosses that had been made and donated to Bessie Road Baptist Church, located at 575 Bessie Road, by a member three years ago were cut down, the church's secretary Dolores Alexander said. The crosses were put back up Tuesday with the help of several church members, but the incident is still troubling to church officials.

"We were all shocked and just couldn't believe somebody would do something like this," Alexander said. "This is God's property, it's not ours. It seems like somebody didn't care — no conscience, no fear of God."

Two wooden crosses lay in the grass after being cut down early Sunday morning in front of Bessie Baptist Church in Piedmont.(Photo: Courtesy of Geoffrey Phillips)

Since the church opened in 1975, nothing like this has ever happened aside from a few vehicle break-ins, Alexander said.

The church, which already has an alarm system, now plans to improve its security cameras. Footage of the incident at Bessie Road was handed over to authorities, but Alexander said the images were dark and made it hard to make out the suspect and the vehicle involved.

"It looked like some sort of sedan," she said.

Alexander said it appeared one man approached the crosses at about 3:17 a.m. Sunday with something in his left hand. It took the suspect six minutes to cut down the crosses and leave, she said.

Two wooden crosses were cut down by a vandal early Sunday morning in front of Bessie Road Baptist Church in Piedmont.(Photo: Courtesy of Geoffrey Phillips)

About a half mile down Bessie Road, Joy Fellowship, located at 492 Bessie Road, was also vandalized. In that incident, vandals spray painted the church building with the Spanish words "Venceremos por el Diablo," which translates to "We will overcome for the devil," according to a press release from the Greenville County Sheriff's Office.

Attempts by The Greenville News to reach officials at Joy Fellowship were unsuccessful.

The Sheriff's Office is requesting that anyone with information regarding the incidents to call Crime Stoppers of Greenville at 23-CRIME.

A pentagram was spray painted on the door of Joy Fellowship Church over the weekend. Authorities are investigating the vandalism and ask the public to come forward with information.(Photo: Courtesy of Geoffrey Phillips)